McGloin, Graham still chasing NFL dreams

Matt McGloin and Hubie Graham won't be walking on stage for a handshake with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

That's reserved for the most prized college football players in the country.

However, both men will still be paying close attention to the NFL Draft, which starts tonight in New York City and continues through Saturday.

The former West Scranton stars are not giving up on a dream that started on the dusty playground fields of the city they both proudly call home. A goal that someday they could play professional football.

They know the odds of hearing their names called in the next couple of days are long. They've faced adversity and achieved where most thought they'd fail.

This is nothing new to the lifelong friends.

During his final two years as a tight end and defensive end at West Scranton High School, Graham was a coveted prospect. He toured the country and received a hero's welcome at all of the marquee colleges and universities that compete in football.

He had size at 6-feet, 3-inches tall and 240 pounds. He had strength, speed and soft hands. A prototypical slot end or H-back who could present a matchup problem for any defensive coach's scheme.

Graham settled on the University of Illinois, ending a frantic process and sending him off to the Big Ten.

Meanwhile, McGloin shopped his talents. His rocket right arm shredded high school defenses, but despite his eye-popping statistics and his precision passing, his size and mobility often came into question when recruiters came to visit.

Too short at 6-foot-1, they often said. Too slow.

That only fueled McGloin's competitive spirit and fed a bravado that he would carry with him as a walk-on quarterback at Penn State, determined to prove his supporters right and his skeptics wrong.

"It's interesting, it seems we all have our own stories," McGloin said. "We have our different stories but we are similar in that we worked hard in the pursuit of our dreams. "

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Graham showed flashes of brilliance in his freshman season at Illinois. He fit right in and played often. But he saw few passes.

A year later, he caught only two passes and he knew his role with the Illini wasn't going to be what he had expected.

Graham needed a change and headed back east.

He landed at Pittsburgh, one of the schools that pushed hard for him during his senior year at West Scranton.

In State College, McGloin was paying his dues. He'd carry a clipboard, watch film, run the scout team. It didn't matter to him.

He worked hard. Maybe harder than he ever did at anything before.

But the late Joe Paterno and his staff had no history of welcoming a walk-on quarterback with open arms. None had ever started before in Happy Valley.

Still, McGloin always believed in himself.

Soon, his play in practice warranted a look. But there was a more high-profile signal caller on campus in Rob Bolden. A shiny five-star prospect who promised to be the next big thing who could lead the Nittany Lions into the upper echelon of college football.

But nothing could shake McGloin. And he earned his way into the conversation about who should be the starting quarterback.

Even after throwing for 1,548 yards and 14 touchdowns, there were cries inside and outside the program. Despite his best efforts, the job was never fully his.

"There is just an attitude you have to have and it does come from being from West Side, I think," McGloin said. "I have it, Hubie has it. We want to everything we can do to be the best player that we can be."

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Things began to take shape in the fall of 2011 for both men.

McGloin had gone from an unknown backup and emerged as the inspirational long-shot starter. He threw for 1,571 yards, but again, Penn State never gave him the keys to the car.

And then came the change.

Rocked by the Jerry Sandusky child sex-abuse scandal, McGloin proved at the historic program's darkest hour to be its brightest ray of hope. He stood by the school he always wanted to attend. He became a leader of men.

Following Paterno's firing and death, a new era of Penn State football would be ushered in under the guidance of former NFL assistant coach Bill O'Brien.

And McGloin wanted to be the man out in front.

At Pittsburgh, Graham had just endured a coaching carousel of his own.

Head coach Dave Wannstedt had been dismissed at the end of the 2010 season.

Hubie seemed to thrive under Wannstedt's replacement, Todd Graham.

In 2011, he caught 28 passes for 325 yards and three touchdowns.

But another coaching change and a season riddled with injuries put him on the shelf for much of his senior season in 2012, jeopardizing his professional aspirations.

"That was a unique situation," Graham said. "People don't understand how tough that is to have a different coach and a different staff come in. Each time they were trying to mold me into what they needed at tight end. I gained weight, I lost weight, I gained weight again. It showed that I can adapt, but it was tough and it hurt my growth as a player."

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Nothing has stopped either player in their pursuit.

Coming off injuries, Graham lifted weights. He ran sprints. He pushed his body to its limits training with Hazleton Area and Colgate graduate Nate Eachus, who defied the odds himself to sign as a free agent running back with the Kansas City Chiefs. Graham received solid reviews at his pro day.

He bench pressed 225 pounds, 21 times. He had a 30-inch vertical leap. But his 40-yard dash time of 4.86 seconds is slower than what the top 10 tight ends ranged at between 4.5 and 4.8.

CBSSports.com has Graham listed as the 46th-ranked tight end and No. 869 overall. But he and his agent have received interest from a number of teams, Graham said.

"I believe that I can play," said Graham, 22, who has a degree in social sciences. "I am not going to give up on my dream after coming so close. I just want somebody to give me a chance and I can show them the player that I can be as that receiving tight end or H-back.

"I am going to have no regrets."

With offensive innovator O'Brien at the controls at Penn State, McGloin and his gunslinger mentality flourished. He threw for 3,271 yards with 24 touchdowns against five interceptions. But despite that success in a pro-style offense, scouts aren't sold.

He's been described as a cerebral passer with a quick release. But scouts say he's too small at 207 pounds. They say he's too slow (4.89 40-yard dash).

It has motivated him, yet again. He has told anyone who will listen that he can make it. He had a strong showing in front of representatives from 25 teams at his pro day.

CBSSports.com rates McGloin as the No. 22 quarterback and the No. 394 player overall available in this draft.

Yet, he refuses to give in.

This is his journey.

"Nobody thought that I could play Division I football," said McGloin, 23, who will have a degree in broadcast journalism. "I worked to become the starting quarterback at Penn State. I have that 'not going to be denied attitude.' I just want to get an opportunity in a camp somewhere and show them that I am going to outwork everybody, I am going to be diligent in my preparation, show them my arm strength is good and they are going to get a guy who is committed."

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Graham and McGloin have lived the highs and lows of college football.

More than likely, they will not hear their names called and each will find themselves at an NFL camp as either a free agent or as a tryout player.

And then they will try to prove themselves, yet again.

And with them relying on that West Scranton toughness, who would bet against them?

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